


Brothers of blood and arms

by IgnoctForeverEtchedInMyHeart



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Illegitimacy, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 13:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17850743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IgnoctForeverEtchedInMyHeart/pseuds/IgnoctForeverEtchedInMyHeart
Summary: Ignis is the illegitimate child of King Regis and it's tearing him apart that Noctis doesn't know because every time Noctis calls Umbra, Ignis retains his memories of the future too.





	Brothers of blood and arms

There was a reason Ignis grew up to look like King Regis in his former years, however, the secret was never to be discussed openly at court. Growing up, Ignis heard the whispers and rumours spread by crown servants who had served the household since King Mors ruled. Little did they know, their speculation was correct.

The power of the Lucii coursed through his veins, but born a bastard child to King Regis, he couldn’t utilise the magic for the debilitating consequences. Several days in bed recovering were unacceptable when he had to serve his unknowing half-brother; the legitimate child. 

He wasn’t jealous of Noctis nor had he ever been, but he wished he could speak of their familial connection; to simply enjoy being brothers. Though Noctis had shown no awareness of their bond and as agreed with their father, Ignis kept his silence, not wishing to burden his brother with such knowledge.

Being a scion of the royal bloodline under the guise of a Scientia came with its own challenges. 

Though his mother was the youngest sibling of the Scientia household, her secrecy surrounding who his father was cost them the support of the family and by age six, Ignis had been brought to the Citadel because his mother could no longer support him and gracefully, his father had agreed he could stay under two conditions; his lineage remains of the utmost secrecy and he served Noctis in whatever capacity his half-brother needed. He agreed and never looked back.

That was how he knew when he thrust the Ring of the Lucii on his finger they wouldn’t kill him. He was unworthy of their power, but that meant he would forever be cast asunder, not slain for reasons out of his control. They were merciful… to an extent. 

What he never prepared for was Ardyn; for him to be unveiled as his uncle no less. His uncle had been erased from history, but upon learning of his reasoning for vengeance towards the Lucis line, Ignis had offered himself, to spare Noctis; to save his brother and only remaining family. But just as the Lucii had cast him aside, Ardyn did the same, sparing him to live another day. Cast aside once more.

When Noctis returned from his time in the crystal, Ignis held his tongue. A secret held this long could be kept for another day, but one day, turned into a week, then a month and into a year. What Noctis didn’t realise, was that each time he called Umbra, he wasn’t the only one to retain his memories. The power of the Lucii gave them both that ability, and it was torture. 

In the present, Ignis was blind, but the next moment he could see again. They traversed ten years in the past, repeating their journey until arriving in Altissia on repeat and every time, Ignis had to remain oblivious, pretending he knew nothing of the future. The hardest part was not reacting to arriving in Altissia and claiming to be culinary students with a calm, unwavering voice.

Some days he thought Noctis noticed when his behaviour differed from their original journey, but if he noticed, he never mentioned and so Ignis did his best to continue on without drawing attention to himself, blending into the background as the group's chef and driver.

“Specs, you free?” Noctis asked one morning when Gladio and Prompto had gone off together for a jog along the beach.

“Certainly,” Ignis replied, walking around the cooking station and over to Noctis at the edge of the campground. “Is everything all right?”

“No. Not really…”

Ignis drew a breath, sitting on the stone beside Noctis. His eyes fixed on the waves of clear blue ocean water. He tried to avoid being alone with Noctis, but today it was unavoidable. “How can I help?”

Noctis shuffled. His fingers pulling at a thread on his trousers. “I’ve decided we can’t put this off any longer…”

“My apologies. I not sure I follow-”

“We’re brothers.” 

Ignis stilled. His body frozen as he replayed Noctis’ words over in his mind. He hadn’t expected this conversation after all this time.

“Don’t play dumb. I know you know…”

“... How long?”

“Have I known?” Noctis asked, looking at Ignis, continuing when he nodded. “Since I put the ring on. So, what’s that… 12 years now?”

“Thirteen.”

“Shit,” Noctis cursed, running a hand over his face. “Using Umbra makes it difficult to keep track… But, if you knew, why didn’t you tell me? Everything could have been different if I’d have known sooner… we could’ve grown up like a proper family…” 

“His Majesty forbid it as part of the terms for me being allowed to remain at the Citadel… A king’s illegitimate child is hardly meant to be raised casually beside the legitimate heir,” Ignis answered, hanging his head. He’d always wanted to be a family. It was what hurt most watching Noctis all these years. 

“Owch… Put like that, I’m kind of an ass.”

“You’re no such thing. You’re the rightful heir and I’m happy to serve you. After all, I shouldn’t exist. I was an accident born from a lustful encounter gone wrong…” 

“Don’t say that,” Noctis frowned, shuffling to face Ignis properly. “Saying you were an accident completely ignores how important you are to me. Seriously, Specs, you’re my rock and the only reason I kept going back in time is that I’m not ready to leave you… I wish you told me when we were younger… I probably wouldn’t have believed you, but… I dunno. I just wish we had the opportunity to be actual brother’s before everything fell apart… Was dad nice to you?”

“He was amicable,” Ignis answered, looking across at Noctis’ expectant face. “It was a difficult situation. He could hardly show me preferential treatment when there was no explainable reason to do so… I always received a birthday and Christmas present from him though. Occasionally he’d invite me to share a private dinner in his study under the reasoning we were discussing your education…”

“That’s… something, at least. Did you call him dad?”

Ignis shook his head. “Never. It would be unwise to be so bold. For the record, he never called me son either… We had a silent understanding of the situation.”

Noctis nodded before looking out at the waves. “I think he probably didn’t want to push you… But he’d probably of liked to hear you call him dad.”

“Perhaps,” Ignis mused, tilting his head side to side. “Though it’s too late to find out... I always wanted to call him father, but I thought he would chastise me for it so I gave up on the thought… Maybe I shouldn’t have?”

Noctis closed his eyes. “When I was growing up, he used to tell me to treat you right, because you were the one person who would never leave me… He said we had an inseparable bond, but I thought he meant because you were my best friend… I’m sorry I didn’t realise sooner. I’m sorry I’m a crap brother and I’m sorry it’s taken me years of living in the past to gather up the courage to tell you I knew…”

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for,” Ignis said, resting a hand on Noctis’ arm. “Honestly, I’m just glad you know and that we can speak openly about it… Also, I’m relieved you haven’t made me relive after arriving in Altissia...”

“I thought about it. I think about it all the time. I wonder if I could save Luna and stop you from wearing the ring, but… it’s impossible. The covenants were killing Luna slowly and even if I told you not to wear the ring, you would still have put it on to save me… I can’t win.”

Ignis pulled his hand away, hanging his head. “You’re right. If it meant saving you, there is never a situation where I wouldn’t wear the ring.”

“... Ignis?”

“Yes?”

“I’m not gonna carry this on any longer. This time I will give Ardyn the peace he needs and, you’ve got to know, there’s nothing you can do to save me.”

“I know…”

“You do? How?”

“Pryna. She showed me the future… I wish I could take your place…”

“I’m glad you can’t. I want you to live, Iggy. Find your own happiness.”

“Unlikely,” Ignis scoffed, sounding far more undignified than usual. “My life has always revolved around you… If you’re gone and I’m blind once more, I doubt much will bring me happiness.”

“That’s why you’ve got to _find_ it. The Lucii made the biggest mistake when they chose me over you just because of outdated rules about marriage… Find happiness outside of the royal family. You’re an awesome person, Ignis. You deserve the best.”

That day played through Ignis’ mind as one of his most cherished memories. It was one of the few times they had spoken about being brothers, but they spent a few weeks making up for lost time before returning to the present.

It was awful.

Being outside the Citadel, fighting the daemons whilst knowing his brother would soon die, impaled to the throne by the king’s and queen’s of yore; their ancestors. He fought with all his strength, but when dawn broke and he felt a warmth on his skin akin to that of the day they shared under the sun in Galdin Quay, he finally broke, falling to the floor, crying over the loss of his dearest friend and brother.

Life would never be the same.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it please let me know ^.^


End file.
